February 7, 2005 - Statistics Show Teen Pregnancy, Birth, Abortion Rates Decline

A review of pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates for teenagers aged 15 to 17 years in the United States shows that since 1990, pregnancy rates have declined substantially for the age group, reaching a new low of 53.5 pregnancies per 1,000 females in 2000, a decline of one-third from the 1990 rate of 80.3 pregnancies per 1,000. At the same time, the birth rate for 15- to 17-years-olds declined from its peak of 38.6 births per 1,000 females in 1991 to 22.4 births per 1,000 females in 2003. The induced abortion rate peaked in 1983 at 30.7 abortions per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17, and decreased by more than half-to 14.5 abortions per 1,000 females-by 2000. The figures were reported by the National Center for Health Statistics in the February 4, 2005, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.